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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29388306">Quiet the storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Formula 1 RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alex Albon is a good friend, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Mental Health Issues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:02:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,611</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29388306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>George is a mess. Toto takes care of him.<br/>This was supposed to be cute and fluffy, ended up being a bit angsty instead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>George Russell/Torger "Toto" Wolff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Quiet the storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>”George?” a voice cut through the haze in George’s brain. He had to blink a couple times, focusing his eyes on the figure in front of him. Alex, right, a friendly human. George forced a smile hoping it might look somewhat believeable. He knew it probably didn’t. Oh well, he tried.</p>
<p>”Yeah sorry I was kinda zoned out, what’s up?” George asked. It wasn’t unusual for his friends to talk to him, because they were, well, his friends, and talking came with the territory there. Still George felt a bit weird about having to talk. He was already exhausted and any additional social interaction was too much of an effort. The debriefs and other meetings he’d have to go through before and after the race would be a struggle enough.</p>
<p>”Nothing, I just… You looked sad”, Alex sighed. George just shrugged. ”I’m good, just a bit tired that’s all.” It technically wasn’t a complete lie, he was, in fact, tired. What wasn’t true though, was the ’a bit’ part as he felt absolutely exhausted already and it was barely noon. His brain was a muddled mess and he struggled to find the energy to go through the motions each day. But he wasn’t going to tell that to Alex because what Alex didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, and the one thing George didn’t want to do would be to hurt Alex. And it wasn’t like Alex could do anything about it anyway, since George himself had no idea what was wrong. He’d just been feeling absolutely emotionally drained and anxious for a few days now. It had happened before and George knew all he had to do was keep his head above the water for the time being and he’d be fine. No need to involve Alex or anyone else in it, they had their own problems. Well, there was one person who George actually wanted to be around at the moment, but that person also happened to be very busy at that moment so George would just have to deal. He’d done it before, he was sure he’d be fine this time as well.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Alex wasn’t an idiot. He could tell George wasn’t telling him the truth when he said he was fine. It wasn’t that George was quiet, that wasn’t really that unusual. Alex couldn’t actually really tell what originally made him think George wasn’t doing too hot right then, since seeing an F1 driver leaning against a fence at a circuit looking thoughtful wasn’t generally a suspicious activity. Alex was pretty sure it was some kind of intuitive thing, since he’d known George for long enough to be able to read his mood from the smallest of things.</p>
<p>Alex also knew that when George was feeling down he kept his walls up and around him very tight and trying to pry would only make George withdraw further away from people. So as much as it pained Alex not to comfort his friend, he had to grit his teeth and hope George would tell him or someone if it got bad enough. Besides he was quite sure Alex wasn’t the person George needed comfort from. That was another small nugget of knowledge his excellent George-intuition had given him: the relationship between George and the Mercedes boss definitely was more than just platonic and professional. He’d seen the subtle shift in George’s demeanor everytime he was near Toto, he’d seen the absolute adoration George’s eyes held when looking at the older man. The clues were so small Alex was pretty sure no one else was aware of the situation, but at the same time Alex was certain he wasn’t wrong about it.</p>
<p>So now Alex was pretty sure the person who could be there for George without George panicking about vulnerability would be Toto. The problem with that, though, was the part where Alex couldn’t just walk up to Toto and go ”yea your boyfriend is sad and I think you should go cuddle him”, because while he knew about the two being together, it wasn’t public knowledge and he knew it was easier for everyone if he just pretended to be oblivious. Dropping a bombshell like that on Toto wouldn’t make anything easier. On the contrary, it would probably make them worry more about people possibly finding out or knowing already.</p>
<p>The situation played on Alex’ mind for the rest of the day, though. He’d come to the conclusion that the only way would be to have a very unsubtle conversation about being worried about George while Toto was in earshot. So after the race, when he maybe a bit too loudly asked Lando whether he’d noticed George being a bit off and he saw Toto excuse himself from the conversation the man had previously been a part of, he relaxed a little. He hated that he couldn’t do more, but he knew Toto would take care of George and Alex had done the right thing making sure the older man was aware George wasn’t doing great.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>George was pacing back and front in his hotel room. The race earlier in the day had been actually relatively good. Still no points, but there were non-Williams cars behind him at chequered flag, which he considered a great accomplishment with the car he currently had. Still he couldn’t breathe easily and his thoughts were swirling in his head like a sickening tornado making him slowly lose his mind. He dropped down on the bed and let out a long breath trying to gather his thoughts but that wasn’t working. At all.</p>
<p>He knew what was making this episode (he hated calling these episodes, but he couldn’t figure out a better name) far worse than usual was the loneliness. He had his friends, obviously, but he hadn’t really talked to Toto face to face for more than a month now, because as he’d said, the man is busy. So when his brain decided to fuck him over, the lack of closeness and comfort he’d gotten accustomed to receiving from Toto just fell on him like a boulder and now he was left laying alone on his hotel bed, still in a race suit, chest feeling heavy and his head spinning, eyes burning with unshed tears. He ran a hand down his face and sighed yet again. It wasn’t going to be a great night.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>George was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at his hotel room door. George dragged himself up from the bed, cursing the fact that he’d have to interact with another human. He wouldn’t mind interaction with a certain person, but since that wasn’t happening, he’d rather just not see people for the time being. Regardless, he dragged himself to the door, slowly opening it. What he saw, though, wasn’t just another person he’d have to try and act like a functioning human for. He saw the only person he could actually stand seeing at the moment and to say the man waiting on the other side of the door was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement.</p>
<p>”Hey”, Toto said in a gentle tone and stepped in through the doorway. George wanted to cry in relief. The door slammed shut behind him, but George paid no mind to the sound. He took a very fast step forward, wrapping his arms around the older man’s neck and just reveling in the closeness of the other man.</p>
<p>”What are you doing here?” George whispered into Toto’s neck. He knew for a fact that Toto had meetings literally every minute of every day, since that was the exact reason they hadn’t seen each other for so long despite being at the same venues most of the time. They simply didn’t have time with the quick pace of the season and them having to try and be subtle about their relationship so traveling together wasn’t an option most of the time.</p>
<p>”I heard Alex talking… He said something about you feeling a bit down and I know how bad it gets sometimes and I couldn’t just let you suffer alone, I love you too much”, Toto spoke and wrapped his arms around George. George felt a surge of emotions at Toto’s words and he had no idea what to do with them because his brain was absolutely fried, so he just broke. They stayed there for a long moment, George quietly sobbing into Toto’s neck, letting out the emotions that had been accumulating in his head for way too long. Toto kept running his hands comfortingly on George’s back, whispering to George how much he loved him. Toto’s heart ached seeing George like this. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen George like this, they’d been together for long enough for him to have experienced this before, but it never got easier.</p>
<p>”You should be in your meeting”, George muttered. He felt guilty knowing Toto was there making sure George didn’t fall apart when he should be doing more important things.</p>
<p>”They’ll survive one day without me. Your wellbeing is more urgent than anything that could literally ever come up at that meeting”, Toto whispered into George’s hair. George didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and breathed in the comforting scent of Toto’s cologne. He still felt conflicted but he decided the easiest option would be to be glad Toto was there at all, letting George break down in peace.</p>
<p>”Have you showered after the race?” Toto quietly asked when George’s sobs had died down. George felt a bit ashamed when he shook his head. The race had ended a while ago so he really should have showered already but he just couldn’t bring himself to actually do anything that required more effort than breathing. Toto knew this, so he just muttered out an okay.</p>
<p>”Shower with me?” George asked, finally looking up at Toto. The emotion in Toto’s eyes threatened to make him cry all over again. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and tried to mold his face into a smirk and dropped his hands to Toto’s belt. The man had made time to make sure George was fine, the least George could do would be to make it worth while for Toto as well. After all, a month without seeing each other meant a month without sex. Toto inhaled sharply but gently grabbed George’s wrists pulling his hands away.</p>
<p>”Baby, I love you, but I don’t think you’re in the right headspace for that”, Toto whispered. George felt a pang in his chest at being rejected but he did feel relieved because Toto was definitely right and George was trying to do his typical thing of people pleasing with no regard for his own wellbeing. ”I’ll shower with you if you want. But we’re not having sex when you’re literally having a breakdown.” George had to smile at that. He drew in a shuddery breath and nodded.</p>
<p>”I’ll take care of you, baby boy, don’t you worry about anything”, Toto said to George, guiding the younger man toward the bathroom. George felt a warmth in his chest at the words. George knew he could let Toto take care of him for the night and he could just try and shut his brain down for a minute. Toto would make sure he’d be okay on the other side.</p>
<p>Their shower went by in a bit of a blur for him, the most prominent feeling throughout the whole ordeal were Toto’s hands on his skin, washing his hair, taking care of him. He felt a small smile creep onto his face at the end of it. His brain was still a muddled mess and he felt way too tired to be functioning as a human, but the amount of love given to him by Toto at that moment was filling his heart with something other than pain and that was enough to warrant a smile.</p>
<p>”I just need my brain to shut off for a moment”, he whispered when they climbed out of the shower. He wasn’t sure at what point he’d just actually stopped functioning as a human, but Toto was doing all the work now, running a towel on his skin, drying him down. George knew he should feel at least a bit ashamed for being so helpless but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He knew Toto was doing this because he loved him and didn’t care either.</p>
<p>Toto hadn’t brought his own clothes with him having come straight from the track, so he had to borrow George’s sweatpants and a hoodie. George had to admit it was both absolutely adorable and funny, since Toto was taller than George and the clothes didn’t quite fit. George himself was only wearing an oversized hoodie, not seeing the need for pants in his current state.</p>
<p>”I love you so much, baby boy. You’re the most important person in the world to me, I hope you know that. If you feel bad in the future, just tell me, if I’m busy I’ll try and make time. I don’t want you to suffer alone, even if all I can do about it is cuddle you”, Toto murmured while running his fingers through George’s hair. They were laying on the bed now, George’s head resting on Toto’s chest. George sighed and muttered out an ”I know”. And he did know. He just wasn’t used to being this loved and the thought alone made him want to cry again. He just felt so safe in Toto’s arms and he felt all floaty and his thoughts were clouded, not focused any more. This was his brain signing off for the day, George gathered, and to be quite honest he was happy about it. He was about to inform Toto that he wouldn’t probably be great company for the rest of the evening due to his higher brain functions just giving up, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door yet again.</p>
<p>”I ordered us food. Wouldn’t want you to starve”, Toto spoke quietly and got up, leaving George on the bed. George was scared at how dependent he’d become of Toto throughout the events of the evening, as as soon as the man had gotten up from the bed, all George wanted was to have him back with him. He’d allowed himself to revel in the comfort of the older man and as soon as it was gone for even a second he just forgot how to function. Under any other circumstances he’d be a bit uneasy about that, but given the situation he felt he could forgive himself for feeling a bit clingy.</p>
<p>George was so grateful for Toto at that moment. The man was making sure the mess of a human that was George would at least somewhat stay intact and not fall apart at least physically. Toto was leaning against the headboard of the bed with George leaning on him, barely sitting up. There was some show running in the background, George wasn’t sure which as he wasn’t paying too much attention, he couldn’t really find the energy to focus on much. Toto kept feeding George the take out he had ordered for them, the younger man glad to just give up control to the older man. He felt so safe at that moment that even though the storm was still happening in his brain, it was at least a bit more quiet than earlier. Logically he knew Toto alone couldn’t fix everything in the long run, but for the time being George was willing to live in the naive belief that he could.</p>
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